Jambassa is a digital dub project, started in 2000 by Carmine Minichiello (Gamino) & Raffaele Gargiulo (Papa Lele), and settled in Irpinia -South of Italy-, a rugged and poor land, far away from the nerve-centers, where digital dub music had way and space to express itself: a physical and cultural isolation, which develops in Jambassa an own original style, detached form the genre standards.
Initially born as Dj set, Gamino & Papa Lele matured a natural bent to studio productions formerly in 2006, with “Waiting Dragoon”, their first work and fourth publication of the Aquietbump, a label founded by Jambassa with other two artists: Paolo Picone (Peak) and Giovanni Roma (Black Era).
Jambassa sound is digital, even if extremely warm, “contemporary”, even if strongly linked to ’70/’80 jamaican roots music, and “essential” but rich, more based on groove textures than melody, and so: drum, bass and other few elements.
Starting from these music approaches, spontaneous collaboraborations and experiencences began with several italian and foreigners artsits such as Disrupt (DE), Mikey Murka (JA/UK), Volfoniq (FR), Hotdrop (ES), ltd. Candy (DE), Ranking Forrest (USA), Sardinia Bass Legalize (I), Rankin’ Alpha & Dubital (I) and others.
Besides the three official releses (“Waiting Dragoon – 2006″, “The Roots and the Flowers” – 2008 and “Macchine Parlanti” – 2009), Jambassa appears on other productions, with re-mixes and original tunes, amongst which “Italian Dub Community showcase vol. 1″, a compilation with songs made by best underground italian dub musicians, and “Future Sound Theory vol. 2″, by Matt B for the asian label Celestial Dragon.
Jambassa had a big an intense live activity, taking part in very important national and international events: “Bergen Reggae Festival” in Bergen (N), “Delicious Offbeat Vibration Festival” in Freiburg (DE), the Dub Station in “Fusion Festival” in Lartz (DE), “Dub en Sauce Festival” in Montpellier (FR), in the Raw Tempel’s Dub Bar in Berlin (DE) and the NIU espai artistic contemporani in Barcellona (ES).